Rangers star Nicolas Raskin has been called up to the Belgium U21 squad for the European Championships, where he could line up alongside AC Milan wonderkid Charles de Ketelaere.
The Ibrox midfielder has been included in the Belgian provisional U21 squad for the tournament alongside a host of top young footballing talents from the European nation.
These include ex-Man City midfielder and £14m Southampton star Romeo Lavia and £30m AC Milan striker Charles de Ketelaere in a testament to the midfielder’s standing in the game.
Rangers signed Nicolas Raskin from Standard Liege in January, forking out a reported £1.75m to sign the midfielder six months before his deal expired in Belgian.
Nicolas Raskin tipped for the top with Belgium
That could prove a wise investment from the Ibrox side in the years to come, with the 22-year-old highly regarded in Belgian football and amongst the nation’s brightest young talents.
So much so that former Belgium manager and current Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praised Rangers for signing Nicolas Raskin when they did.
Claiming that the Gers held off top competition from around Europe, Spanish manager Martinez also believes that Nicolas Raskin is destined for the Belgium top team.
“Firstly, I think it is a very clever signing,” said Martinez.
“It’s a clever signing. He’s a player that was highly rated by all the top European clubs. And I think Rangers were very quick in the acquisition.
“Nicolas, I loved working with him. He reminds me of another former Rangers player; Gennaro Gattuso. He’s got that dynamic approach being a number 8. He can be box to box, but he’s got the quality when he gets on the ball. Nothing fazes him.
“I think it’s been a very intelligent signing. I can only see him growing. And the potential that he has if he develops, it will help Rangers and it will help himself.”
It’s clear that Nicolas Raskin is highly though-of in Belgium and as he prepares to line up alongside the country’s top talents Rangers might be smirking at the reported fee they paid for the midfielder.
Nicolas Raskin has five caps for the Belgium U21s and he made 16 appearances for Rangers after joining the club in January.
